Full Title: Alice in Wonderland
Major Topic: A fantasy world constructed by the author.
Level: all levels
This classic children’s book is a virtual must for anyone who goes to any depth in Buddhist meditation. Lewis Carroll’s logical absurdities create a dreamlike atmosphere in which anything and everything is possible. From the nonsensical Jabberwocky, which nevertheless moves one emotionally, to the need to walk away from where one is intending to go, Carroll time again points (albeit inadvertently) to the kinds of paradox and mystery one encounters in practice. The principal theme is the mind training instruction “regard all experience as a dream”. The logic puzzles and the play of language frequently create gaps in the conceptual mind and one can rest in those gaps.
Filed under: Chapter 9: Dismantling Illusion | Tagged: stories, teaching stories, wisdom | Leave a comment »